Finding Ben Solo
by ReyloForever
Summary: Kylo Ren has just defeated the evil Supreme Leader Snoke in order to save Rey. Now the two find themselves trying to sway the other to join their side. Rey is determined to find the humanity in Kylo and bring him back to his old self, Ben Solo. However, Kylo has the opposite plan; take over the galaxy with the power of the Dark Side with Rey by his side.
1. Suprize Escape

"Ben! The fleet." Rey looked out to see yet another one of the Resistance's escape pods burst into flames. "Order them to stop firing!" Rey turned to face Kylo and continued pleading with him. "There's still time to save the fleet." But, as she took in his expression Rey realized something wasn't right. Unmoving, Kylo just stood there as more of the fleet was gunned down. "Ben?"

Kylo's eyes were intensely fixed on Rey. His voice was passionate, yet demanding. "It's time to let old things die. Snoke, Skywalker. The Sith, The Jedi, The Rebels…Let it all die. Rey. I want you to join me. We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy."

Rey's voice caught in her throat for a moment as she tried to take in what he was saying. It's just the same thing over again. Nothing has changed. She thought she could change him. Bring him to the light again. Bring Ben Solo back to life. But it was not Ben staring at her now. It was Kylo Kylo. Fully consumed by the dark side, unwilling to relent.

"Don't do this, Ben." She said his real name, a final attempt to make him remember who he truly was. She wasn't ready to let him go. Not yet. "Please don't go this way." _Please don't ask me to choose between the Resistance and you. Please don't follow in Darth Vader's footsteps._ She pleaded in her mind.

Reading her thoughts, Kylo countered, _There is nothing left of the Resistance. The cause has been dead for a long time. Join me Rey. Stop fighting the pull the Dark Side has on you. Stop fighting the connection between us._

Tears brimmed in Rey's eyes. She stared at Kylo, pleading. "You know I can't."

Kylo walked toward the Jedi Knight, closing the distance between them. He cupped her face with his gloved hand and gently brushed the tear that had just fallen off her cheek.

Leaning closer he whispered into her ear, "Rey." A shudder went down Rey's spine. "Join me."

He pulled away slightly and stared into her eyes. They were filled with so much sorrow and something else. Longing? Kylo moved his hand to Rey's face again and tilted her chin up towards him. When she did not refuse his touch, looked down at her lips, his slightly parted. He leaned down. Now just inches of Rey's lips. He knew that this was what she wanted. What they both wanted. She could feel his breath on her face and then felt the soft brush of his lips against hers.

* _CRASH_ * The Supremacy jolted sending both Rey and Kylo sideways. The noise was defining. Sparks and debris fell down from the ceiling making the torn apart chamber even more chaotic.

"We've been hit!" Kylo pushed himself up and looked out the window to see what had happened. To his horror he could see the other half of the ship had been completely severed. "This ship is going down! We have to get out of here right now." Kylo reached down and pulled on Rey's arm, but she did not respond. She lay on the floor, unmoving. There was a small gash on the side of her head. It looked like a piece of debris had struck her there. "Shit," Kylo said under his breath. He had to get her out of there and fast. He scooped up the unconscious Jedi into his arms and rushed out of Snoke's throne room and headed towards the place on the ship where he hoped his ship the Silencer would be waiting for him.

Kylo lungs burned at the sudden loss of oxygen as he ran, Rey slug over his shoulder. Stormtroopers and other First Order members were running in all different directions and so focused on evacuating that no one noticed Kylo running with the First Order prisoner on his back. He thanked the Force that the Silencer had not been damaged in the wreck. He used the force to open the ship and quickly entered it, hoping he had not attracted the attention any of the First Order. Before readying the ship, the Knight strapped Rey securely in the co-pilot seat. _But how to get out of here?_ Just as he had thought it the hangar door started to open. He was not the only one trying to evacuate after all.

Kylo Ren quickly powered up his ship and raised them into the air. He wove the ship in and out of the chaos that ensued all around him and managed to soar through the hangar door, away from the sinking ship.

Kylo looked out into the vast expanse around him, debris and parts of the ship floating all around him, and saw that some of the Resistance fleet had in fact managed to escape the blasters and were headed down to Crait to take refuge. _Please, let my mother be on one of those pods. Please. I may never see her again, but at least I'll know she is safe._ He had already lost his father and wasn't ready to see his mother die as well because of his loyalty to the First Order. I didn't matter that it was not he shot down the escape pods. I would be his fault if his mother died. Kylo was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the rustling of fabric against metal.

"Wha..what happened? Where am I?" Kylo turned toward Rey. "You're safe. The Supremacy was hit and cut in two by the Raddus and was going down. Something must of hit your head during the crash and knocked you unconscious." Rey winced as she lifted her hand and touched the open wound on her head.

"Once we go into hyperspace I'll see that we get that bandaged up." Rey nodded lazily her assent and then drifted back to sleep. It had been a long time since the Jedi had actually slept and now that she was certifiably out of danger she easily drifted off in her chair.

It was just then that it dawned on Kylo the situation they both found themselves in. Together. Leaving behind the First Order and the Resistance. He had no idea where they were going, but right now he didn't care. All that matter right now was that Rey was with him and she was safe. Perhaps he could sway her to start over with him after all.

Kylo looked over at his sleeping scavenger. She had come from nothing and yet she meant so much to him, although how much he was not yet willing to admit even to himself.


	2. Jakku

Kylo had just finished dressing Rey in a clean bandage around her head as they cruised through hyperspace. He had finally decided to go to the one place he was sure the First Order would not think to look for him. He set course for the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim to the desert planet the scavenger was from. Jakku. The planet was so desolate that Kylo knew it wouldn't be hard to avoid contact with other beings while staying there. And most importantly, this was Rey's home. She knew that place and how to survive there. He also wanted her to feel comforted by a familiar place. The Knight thought back to his last visit to Jakku. All the innocent people he had killed. People Rey probably knew, maybe was even friends with. He buried his head in his hands. Maybe Jakku wasn't such a great idea after all.

Rey was jolted awake by the impact of their landing. She sat bolt upright and looked around her, taking in the ship and the vast desert outside the window. Although her mind was still a bit fuzzy from her head injury, she recognized this familiar landscape immediately. "Jakku?" How had she ended up here? What happened to the First Order ship she had been a prisoner on? Then it all came flooding back to her. Kylo killing Snoke. Battling Snoke's guard. How easily she had killed. Fighting by Kylo's side and his offer to join him in conquering the galaxy. Their almost kiss. After that she drew a blank. She hadn't even remembered waking up earlier in the Silencer when they had first taken off. She turned in her seat and locked eyes with her captor. "Ben? What happened? Why are we here? The First Order…The Resistance…"

"The First Order was hit by the Raddus. During the crash, you hit your head and were knocked unconscious. I took you with me and left the sinking ship. I thought that Jakku would be hiding place of sorts."

It started to dawn on the Jedi what this all meant. "So…You left the First Order? What happened to the rest of the Resistance fleet? Were there any survivors?"

"For now, yes. I can't be certain of the Resistance, but as we were leaving I did see that a few pods had managed to escape and were headed toward the nearby planet Crait to take refuge. Whether or not the First Order followed them I do not know."

Rey thought about the escape pods she had seen shot down. Was Finn on any of those? Poe? Leia? The Jedi closed her eyes and concentrated on reaching out into the Force, in search of Leia. Yes. She could feel her, but she could also sense that she was in trouble.

"I have to go back. The Resistance needs me. General Leia is in trouble."

 _She's still alive then_ , Kylo thought. "I'm not going back. I can't join you in the Resistance and you are in no shape to fly anywhere by yourself."

Rey knew he was right. Her head was throbbing and she could feel just how weak she was from the effort of just sitting up in her chair. "Huh," she breathed. "Fine, but as soon as I've recovered I'm going to find a ship and return to them." _Or just steal yours when you're asleep,_ She thought.

"You know I can still hear what you're thinking right? Besides even if you did manage to steal it, I doubt you would be able to pilot it by yourself. It is not as rudimentary as the Millennium Falcon."

Rey crossed her arms and huffed. She could figure it out. She was no pilot, but she hadn't been when she had flown the Falcon either. Still, it would probably better to take a less assuming ship from Jakku then travel the galaxy in the Silencer. Better to be inconspicuous.

"We should find a place to hide the ship and stay for the night."

"I know just the place." Rey lead them to a deep cavern that had a small stream running through the very bottom. It had many outcroppings and alcoves in which they could hide the ship while they stayed there and it was also good to be close to a source of water, a rarity in the desert.

It was nightfall now and although Rey had slept nearly a day during their travels, she was tired again. The two sat in silence as they ate their rations of food that had thankfully been on board when the left the Supremacy. Rey felt herself slowly drifting off and was struggling to keep her eyes open. Sensing her fatigue Kylo stood up to show her to the small sleeping chamber. Despite Rey's protests she had to lean on Kylo for support as she walked to keep her balance. The room although small held a large bed that looked exquisitely comfortable. The only problem, she quickly realized, was that there was only one bed. There was no way she was going to share a bed with the dark Knight. Sensing her thoughts Kylo cleared his throat.

"You can sleep here tonight. There is a single cot that pulls out from the wall outside the cockpit I can use." _Thank God_ , he thought, relieved she could have some privacy. Although, it was physical privacy only since the Force connection she had with Kylo made him able to hear her thoughts and even see her from across the galaxy at times. The time she caught Kylo shirtless quickly surfaced to her mind. Her cheeks began to burn as she quickly tried to think of something else and desperately hoped Kylo had not been reaching into her mind at that moment. Rey stole a sideways glance at the Knight and saw a twitch of a smirk come across his face. _Shit_ , she thought.

"Thanks, this looks so nice. Goodnight then." _Goodnight_ _my scavenger,_ Kylo thought to himself. Luckily Rey was too preoccupied with the feeling of the soft bed to notice his thoughts as he walked through the bedroom door and out of sight.

Kylo tossed and turned in a fitful sleep that night. The scene before him was a familiar one. He was in Snoke's throne room again with Rey kneeling before him except this time Snoke held his lightsaber in his hands.

"Give her to me. I can see into your soul. You waver. You do not possess the strength to kill the girl. Why? Do you care for the filthy scavenger?"

Snoke let out a cruel laugh. He seized Rey with the Force and flung her across the room until she was hovering within the Supreme Leader's reach.

"Pity you couldn't be persuaded to the Dark Side. I can see you have much power inside of you, perhaps even as much as my Knight of Ren. But…if the First Order cannot use your power, then neither can the Resistance." Snoke raised his saber over his head and brought it down towards the struggling Rey.

"No!" Kylo called out as he shot up from his cot. His heart was racing and cold sweat coated his body. Panting, he looked around at where he was. Snoke was dead. He was on the Silencer. Rey was alive and sleeping in the next room. Kylo lifted his head up at the sound of creaking metal. It was Rey.

"Ben?" Rey called out into the darkness as she carefully walked over to wear the Darksider lay. "I heard screaming. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It was just a dream. Go back to bed." To his surprise, Rey came closer and sat on the edge of his cot.

"I saw it too. Your dream. Snoke tried to kill me…Then I woke up to the sound of you shouting." Kylo shifted uncomfortably on his cot. He did not want her to see him as weak, afraid of his old master.

"I used to have dreams like that too, but of my parents. Almost every night for a year after they left I'd dream different horrific deaths they suffered in front of me. I still have them sometimes."

Rey felt tears starting to form in her eyes and looked away.

"I still think about them every day…It's just…" *sniff * "How could they leave me behind…" Although this was something Rey often thought about she had never said it out loud to another person before.

"Your parents were fools for leaving you." Kylo places his hands over hers. "They didn't see the greatness you have in you, but I do. I see you Rey." And then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "You don't have to be alone anymore." He whispered into her hair. Rey didn't say anything. She just let him hold her there for a while until she drifted back to sleep.

Kylo awoke early in the morning to find Rey asleep against him, laying her head on his chest. He looked at her peaceful sleeping face and had to hold himself back from running his fingers through her soft brown hair. The Darksider was used to waking up at the dawn of whatever planet he was on, but he couldn't bring himself to get up and disturb his sleeping scavenger.

A few hours later Rey lazily opened her eyes. _This mattress is a lot harder than I remembered_ , she thought to herself. With her eyes fully opened she realized that she wasn't on top of a mattress but on top of another person. Rey froze and then scrambled off of Kylo's chest, her cheeks turning bright red. How could she have fallen asleep with him?! Kylo let out a small chuckle behind her. She turned her head toward him but stared at the floor.

"I…uh…ssorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep here last night." She quickly stood up, but instantly became lightheaded and stumbled back onto the cot. Her head was still not healed yet.

"Here, let me help you," Kylo said as he wrapped his arm under her shoulder and lifted her off the bed.

"Thanks," Rey said, still embarrassed. "I'm going to go take a shower," she squeaked out.

Rey scolded herself as she got into the shower and turned on the water. What was she thinking? Why had she let him hold her like that last night? She had completely let her guard down, even talked to him about her parents. Although, if she was being honest, it had felt so good to let someone in for a change, even if that person was once her sworn enemy. She still wasn't sure if she fully trusted him, but she knew his thoughts well enough by now that he had no ill intent towards her. He had proven that when he killed Snoke in order to save her from the evil ruler.

It was so odd. Sometimes all she could see was the masked Kylo Ren, unwavering in his loyalty to the Dark Side and then sometimes she would see glimpses of Ben Solo. Ben still had to be in him somewhere, struggling to hold onto the Light. Rey was starting to see more of that side of him and she wanted more. Ben wasn't a monster, he was just a young man with a wounded past, not unlike herself and she had resolved it in herself to bring him back for good. Rey knew it was possible. She had seen it when they had touched hands through the Force. He turned to the Light Side…and they were together.


End file.
